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l A. NOBLE.

FUSE ORYFIRING MECHANISM FOR PROJEGTILES} v No. 372,699. Patented Nov. 8, 1887.

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ANDRE'W NOBLE, OF NEIVCASTLE-UPONTYNE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO W. G. ARMSTRONG, MITCHELL & 00., (LIMITEDQ OF SAME PLACE.

FUSE OR FlRlNG MECHANISM FOR PROJECTlLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,699, dated November 8, 1887.

Application tiled May '7, i887. Scrial'No. 237,461. (No model.) Patented in England February 23, 1886, No. 2,654.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW NOBLE, a sub ject of the Queen of Great Britain, late captain in the Royal Artillery, residing at Jesinonddene House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Eng land, manufacturing engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fusesor Firing Mechanism for Projectiles, (for which a patent has been obtained in to Great Britain, dated February 23, 1886, No. 2,654,) of which the following is a specifiea tion.

When shells with timefuses are fired with light charges, there is some diiliculty in making the fuse sufficiently sensitive to act with certainty when the ignition of the fuse compo sition depends on the inertia of a striker or part contained within the fuse.

In my improved fuse the ignition of the fuse composition is caused by an instrument which is forced forward by the pressure of the powder-gases upon it at the time of firing. In the center of the base of the projectile I provide a bush in which is a cylindrical cavity. In the cavity is a piston with a stern passing forward to the fore part of the pro j ectile by an axial passage, around which sh rapuel-bullcts may be arranged. The stem terminates immediately in rear of the base of the fuse proper, which, as is usual, is screwed in at the apex of the projectile. This fuse may be an ordinary time-fuse, except as respects the ignition. This is effected by a needle in the axis of the fuse, pointed in front, and in rear provided with ahead, which, when the fuse is in place, stands immediately in front of the stem of the piston previously mentioned. Then on firing the piston moves forward, the stem strikes the head of the igniting-needle and throws its point against a fulininating priming immediately in front of it. The priming then tires the fuse compost tion, which burns for a longer or shorter time before lighting the bursting-charge, this be U ing regulated in the usual way by the setting of the fuse before firing.

In order that my said invention may be more fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the drawing hereunto annexed.

The drawing represents a longitudinal sec tion of a shrapnel-shell,

A is a bush in the center of the base of the projectile, and B is a piston contained in a cylindrical cavity in the bush.

B is a cup also inserted in the cylindrical cavity and abutting upon the piston. Itserves to stop the powder-gases when the gun is fired, allowing, however, the piston to be driven forward by them.

O is a long stern attached to the piston.

D is an axial passage through the projectile, around which the shrapnel-bullets E are arranged.

F is an ordinary time-fuse screwed into the nose of the projectile. This timefuse is of the ordinary construction, except that it is provided with a needle, G, and a priming, H. \Vhen the needle is driven against the priming H, the priming explodes and ignites the 7 fuse. The needle and its guide are so arranged as to avoid all risk of the needle being driven forward by accidental violence, but so, nevertheless, that the needle advances with certainty on receiving the forward thrust of the piston and stem when these are projected forward by thepressurc of the gases within thegun.

For these purposes the needle is provided with a head, G, and the tubular guide I, through which the needle passes at its rear end, fits around the rear end of the needle, with the needlc-head bearing against it, so that the point 01 the needle is held away from the priming, H, of fill ininati n g material. The needle-guide, as shown, flares outwardly inter- 8 nally at rear, and the needle-head is made tapering, so as to project slightly into the rear end of the guide. A disk, G of thin brass is secured across the rear end of the body of the fuse, which is sufficient to insure that the neeo dle shall not be driven forward against the priming by any ordinary blow fronithe pistonstem 0. The guide I and disk G give way when the stem is driven forward on the projcctile being fired from a gun. For further 5 security a safety-wire, O, is passed through the stern C and through the bush A, and or dinarily holds back the stern and keepsit from striking against the disk G".

K K are bags containing powder. The fuse I00 ignites the foremost of these, and the flash thereby produced passes to the other bags and through the tube D and ignites the burstingcharge contained in the tin receptacle L.

M is a disk of kamptulicon interposed between the bullets and the wooden filling-block N, which keeps them in place.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. The combination of a projectile provided with a .cavityat the center of its base, a piston in such cavity, a forwardly-extending pistonstem, and a time-fuse at the fore end of the projectile, which is ignited by the blow of the stem when the stem is thrown violently forward, substantially as set forth. 7

2. The combination of a projectile provided with a cavity at the center of its base, a piston 20 fitting within the cavity, a forwardly-extending piston-stem, a time-fuse at the nose of the projectile, a needle carried by the fuse in a line with and a short distance in front of the piston-stem, and provided with a head at its 2 5 rear end, the fuse-priming in advance of the needle, and a tubular guide of the fuse hold: ing the needle back away from'the priming, and which yields and allows the needle to be forced forward against the priming when the pistonstem is thrown violently forward against theneedle-head, substantially as set forth.

. A. NOBLE.

W'itnesses:

WM. J 011w GREY,

Notary Public. T. PURVIS. 

